TNAG-2660-FCO40-3856-Future-of-Hong-Kong-British-Consulate-General-1992 — Page 39

CONFIDENTIAL

HKD 406/

RECEIVE

INDE

18 JUN 1997

DESK OFFICE

PS/Mr Patten

Part

the Patten.

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DATE: 16 June 1992

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RESIDENCE OF THE FUTURE BRITISH CONSUL GENERAL

I p.c

1. Mr Patten might find it helpful to have a note on our

exchanges with Hong Kong over the residence of the future

British Consul-General.

2.

At present the Senior British Trade Commissioner (Mr

Day) is accommodated in an apartment in one of the most exclusive blocks in Hong Kong the Albany. (Baroness Dunn

and her husband live above him).

3.

-

There is a widespread feeling in Hong Kong (strong in

the British community and shared by Mr Day) that the British

Consul General should from 1997 have a good representational house rather than an apartment. Such houses would cost a

vast amount to buy on the open market and are in any case only rarely available. The best option would be for the

Hong Kong Government to make available a house (or a plot

for building) at nil premium, as they did in the case of the site for the new British Consulate-General (Colvin House).

But the Governor's judgement has been that ExCo would not

agree to give Britain another knock-down deal, either by

giving us an HKG house or granting us a site.

4. At the end of last year the Hong Kong Government

produced a list of three of their houses which we could buy.

Our Estates experts considered them, but decided that none

BODAGK/1

SLM

CONFIDENTIAL